Loading...
Addendum to Environmental AssessmentOctober 23, 2007 City of Kalispell Planning Department Attn: Sean Conrad 17 2nd Street East, Suite 211 Kalispell, MT 59901 RE: Response to completeness review for Glacier Town Center Dear Sean: This letter includes responses to the completeness review for Glacier Town Center. As agreed in discussions between CTA and your office on September 24, 2007, the responses (in normal font) to your completeness review (in italics) are being submitted in the form of an Addendum to be attached to the original submittal materials. Where responses are to Environmental Assessment issues, they are provided in part as an addendum to the Environmental Assessment. Specific responses have been made to each specific point or request for additional information. They, in addition to the earlier submitted materials should be considered responsive to the issues raised. As mentioned in previous discussions, Wolford's legal counsel is of the opinion that we are providing materials far in excess of the statutory requirements. However, the applicant feels that this information will facilitate a thorough review of the proposed project by the City and the public. Therefore, the applicant is pleased to provide the requested information. • The location of all section corners or subdivision corners pertinent to the subdivision boundary needs to be included on the preliminary plat in accordance with Section LB of Appendix A of the Kalispell Subdivision Regulations. These data will be provided under a separate cover from Smith Surveying. • The exterior boundaries of the tract to be subdivided including bearings and distances sufficient to locate the exact area proposed for subdivision needs to be included on the preliminary plat in accordance with Section L C of Appendix A of the Kalispell Subdivision Regulations. These data will be provided under a separate cover from Smith Surveying. The width of the right-of-way for Whitefish Stage Road, West Reserve Drive and Highway 93 need to be shown on the preliminary plat in accordance with Section I.F of Appendix A of the Kalispell Subdivision Regulations. These data will be provided under a separate cover from Smith Surveying. • Names of any adjoining platted subdivisions and/or numbers of adjoining Certificates of Survey on record in the Office of the Clerk and Recorder needs to be shown on the preliminary plat in accordance with Section II.A.4 of Appendix A of the Kalispell Subdivision Regulations These data will be provided under a separate cover from Smith Surveying. After reviewing the environmental assessment in accordance with Appendix B of the Kalispell Subdivision Regulations the following information is needed. - Signatures from Wolford Development, LLC, CTA Architects Engineers, and Hyalite Environment, LLP on the signature page (page 27) of the environmental assessment Original signature pages are included with this transmittal, Part I, Section 6. c states, "Describe the present uses of lands adjacent to or near the proposed development. Describe how the subdivision will affect access to any adjoining land and/or what measures are proposed to provide access. " How the subdivision will affect access to any adjoining land and/or what measures are proposed to provide access is not discussed. The 485-acre Center will be located in an area bordered by four major roads: U.S. Highway 93 to the west, Whitefish Stage Road to the east, West Reserve Drive on the south, and Rose Crossing, which bisects part of the development to the north. The developer is the primary landowner in an area essentially surrounded by major public roads, which lessens the impact on access to adjacent lands. Owners of land adjacent to the Glacier Town Center access their properties through direct access to these same roads, and none of those roads will be altered in a manner that would impede this access. As part of the Glacier Town Center, the developer proposes to extend Rose Crossing west from Whitefish Stage Road to U.S. Highway 93, at his expense. This will provide area landowners with a convenient highway access, and creates a much needed signalized intersection in a rapidly developing area. The applicant is informed that land to the north will probably become a residential development in the future and contemplates connection to that area; thus, the Rose Crossing access may reduce the need to create additional highway accesses to/from that land. The Rose Crossing extension will also benefit a multitude of other landowners who reside east of Whitefish Stage and travel west on Rose Crossing to access Kalispell or Whitefish. Currently, these landowners must turn off of Rose Crossing onto Whitefish Stage, and then travel south to West Reserve Drive or several miles north on Whitefish Stage Road. The Rose Crossing extension will be the second east -west direct connection between U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 93, along with West Reserve Drive. Landowners to the north also gain additional accesses to their property through Glacier Town Center via the two proposed accesses as shown on the Development Phasing Map labeled Exhibit "J" in the application. 3. Part I, Section 6. d states, "Describe the basis of the need for the subdivision. How much development of a similar nature is, or is not, available in the area?" The environmental assessment needs to cite recent commercial and residential subdivisions in the area (i.e. Spring Prairie, Hutton Ranch, Starling, and Silverbrook) and answer the first part of this question. The first phase Preliminary Plat includes commercial development. Subsequent phases will provide a mix of commercial and residential development. The applicant believes there is a market for commercial and residential development in the proposed location, and currently has national retail partners prepared to open retail stores in this location. While there has been substantial residential and commercial growth in and around the subject property, such as Spring Prairie, Hutton Ranch, Starling, Silverbrook, and Mountain View Plaza, there continues to be a demand for commercial development and housing (see "Kalispell 2006 Construction, Subdivision and Annexation Report," as cited on page 15, Appendix B of the original submittal package). The City of Kalispell serves as the primary urban center in the growing Flathead Valley. As such, the City is in a strong position to continue to have a need for development of the nature proposed in this project. With the addition of Mountain View Plaza (approximately 55 acres), Spring Prairie (approximately 117 acres), and Hutton Ranch (approximately 45 acres), approximately 217 acres of commercial property is at or rapidly approaching full build -out in the Kalispell area. This means that future areas for major commercial development must be provided, and the Glacier Town Center location is precisely where the City of Kalispell wants to place the next new wave of development. Goal Two of the Kalispell's Highway 93 North Growth Policy Amendment is to develop "a fully -integrated residential/commercial neighborhood (Designated KN-1 on Growth Policy Map) between US 93-Reserve Drive and Whitefish Stage." See, City of Kalispell Growth Policy at p. 80. The Amendment designates 600 acres between US 93, Reserve Drive, and Whitefish Stage as "KN-1," which provides for 45% general commercial (270 acres), 25% urban mixed use (150 acres), 20% in various residential configurations (120 acres), and 10% in open space (60 acres). See, City of Kalispell Growth Policy at p. 80. The Glacier Town Center has been designed with an understanding of these broad goals; it is an appealing, well -designed, fully -integrated development consisting of a mix of uses, including general commercial, urban mixed use, various residential configurations, and approximately 72.3 acres of open space (which exceeds the City's recommendation for the entire 600-acre KN-1 area), that will enhance the Flathead Valley and meet the needs of a continuously growing community. Although approximately 1,000,000 square feet of new commercial development has occurred in this immediate area in the last 7-8 years, more commercial development is waiting to occur. Major department store tenants want and need a new facility in this market where they can grow and locate their business. The Glacier Town Center project will provide a location for future commercial growth, and do so in a comprehensively -planned manner that contemplates connectivity within and around the property, future residential growth, and parklands. 4. The information required in Part A Section 3.a is not included in Table 1 of the environmental assessment as referenced on page 19. This information appears to be in Table 1, Residential Density, in section 4, Planned Unit Development, on page 12 in the project application. If this is the Table I referred to in the environmental assessment please cite it's location in the application. The above referenced Table 1, Residential Density, in section 4, Planned Unit Development, on page 12, does contain information regarding the number of units, acres, and density of the residential portion of the project. The following Table 2: Commercial/Office Development is provided to supplement information regarding proposed commercial lots and acreage. This table includes all proposed commercial lots under the Phase 1 Preliminary Plat. Table 2: Phase 1 Commercial/Office Development Phases TOTAL LOTS TOTAL ACRES Phase 1 37 139.2 S. Please provide a discussion on the additional costs which would result if the proposed project is approved to services such as roads, parks and recreation, fire protection, and schools and busing as required in Part II, Section 3. b. i. Also, please provide a discussion on Section 3. b. iii. There will be additional costs associated with services to be provided to the subject property. These costs will be offset by additional revenue from taxes and user fees, including impact fees assessed on new development. Commercial and mixed use development has been shown to provide positive net fiscal benefits to urban communities when compared to low -density, single family residential sprawl. The applicant anticipates providing additional data concerning cost / benefit analysis, or fiscal impacts, of the proposed project prior to public hearings. 6. Provide a discussion on Part II, Section 3.c. The application proposes a number of road upgrades in and around the subject property, primarily to Whitefish Stage Road, West Reserve Drive, and US Highway 93. The specifics of these improvements will be addressed as the project moves through the review process and public hearings. The applicant is working closely with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) to determine the improvements to state highways that will be necessary to mitigate impacts from the proposed project. The Glacier Town Center proposed to improve Rose Crossing between Whitefish Stage Road and U.S. Highway 93, providing a critical East/West connector link to facilitate traffic movement in the vicinity of the project. The Traffic Impact Study included with the application material provides a detailed discussion of traffic, and should be referred to with regards to this discussion. The Glacier Town Center's trail systems expand an important community service. These trail systems will be adjacent to an existing bike path that runs north from Lawrence Park along Whitefish Stage Road, turning west on West Reserve Drive, then north up Highway 93. The addition of Glacier Town Center's trail systems means the community will be able to travel, uninterrupted, on miles of extra trails. This will also result in some reduction of motorized vehicular traffic and in the likelihood of car -pedestrian accidents. The Glacier Town Center will connect to a water/sewer main that services Silverbrook Estates, a residential area north of the Center. It is our understanding that this main pipe is considerably larger than necessary to serve that development, which means that the main's efficiency could be further maximized by getting it closer to operating at capacity. The Glacier Town Center's connection contributes to a more efficient use of this main. Additionally, a municipal sewer line stops southeast of the Glacier Town Center, at or near Evergreen Drive. The population that this line could serve continues to rise, making extension of this sewer line increasingly necessary. Developments like the Glacier Town Center create additional tax revenue that could contribute to the extension costs. 7. The answer to Section 3.e of Part II did not include city taxes or they were not properly designated. The environmental assessment notes on page 20 that the approximate amount of taxes the project would have paid in 2006 were as follows: $33,800 county, $98,900 education, $3,000 other, for a total of $135,700 in property taxes. Are you including the city taxes as part of the county total? Along with the new taxes and the discussion of additional costs to service providers please indicate whether the new taxes generated from the subdivision would cover the additional public costs as required in Section 3.f. The project is not currently within City Limits, and therefore all additional tax revenue to the City of Kalispell received by the proposed project will be an increase over an existing tax base of 0. Again, most recent studies on urban -scale developments, particularly as they relate to commercial projects, demonstrate that the overall tax and fee benefits to municipalities clearly outweigh increased costs to services over time. The applicant anticipates providing additional data concerning cost / benefit analysis, or fiscal impacts, of the proposed project prior to public hearings. 8. Part II, Section 4.b.ii asks whether groundwater supplies are likely to be contaminated or depleted as a result of the subdivision? In the environmental assessment, page 21, it states the following, "There will be no depletion of groundwater in the deep alluvial aquifer on site since the development will be hooked up to City of Kalispell public water supplies. There would be some use of ground water from the deep alluvial aquifer during later phases of the development, when it is likely that a ground water well will be used as an additional source of water and water pressure to the city water lines. " Please discuss whether the future water well has the likelihood to either contaminate or deplete groundwater supplies in the area Phase I will not use groundwater directly from the deep alluvial aquifer. When Wolford submits preliminary plat applications for future phases, all required information regarding groundwater contamination or depletion, along with an analysis of the same, will be provided as necessary. 9. Please answer Section 4. c of Part II which asks, "How would the subdivision affect visual features within the subdivision or on adjacent land? Describe efforts to visually blend the proposed development with the existing environment (e.g. use of appropriate building materials, colors, road design, underground utilities, and revegetation of earthworks). " The management documents and covenants provide explicit, detailed guidance and description of architectural, landscaping, and site civil engineering (utilities, roads, etc) requirements and how those requirements have been designed to minimize the visual impact of the project. For example, setbacks from the Stillwater River have been designed to maintain the riparian character, height restrictions on buildings have been designed to match the local community and preserve viewsheds, and buffers and setbacks from roadways have been included so that the proposed development will blend with the surrounding community. These guidelines and requirements have been designed to honor the historical and cultural heritage of the Kalispell area while accommodating current land use needs. Please note the building and landscaping renderings included in the original submittal packages. 10. Please answer Section 6.d of Part II which asks "Describe public health or safety hazards, such as dangerous traffic, fire conditions, or contamination of water supplies which would be created by the subdivision. " The traffic impact study submitted with the application recommends a signalized intersection at Highway 93 and Rose Crossing. This would be the last/first signal highway traffic would encounter between Kalispell and Whitefish. The current last/first signal along Highway 93 between Kalispell and Whitefish is at Reserve Drive and Highway 93. This intersection has had 26 accidents in the last 3 years and is the 10`h worst intersection in the Kalispell urban transportation area. The project team is working with MDT to determine the traffic design that will most effectively increase highway safety under the increased traffic loads that will accompany the proposed project. Increased traffic does not necessarily result in hazardous conditions. The Traffic Impact Study and the applicant's work with MDT is for the purpose of iden ifying future traffic issues, and making / implementing recommendations to mitigate those issues so the roads stay at an acceptable level of service. 11. Sections 2.b and 2.c of Part III require the environmental assessment to describe the capability of existing and pe:oposed roads to safely accommodate the increased traffic and the increased maintenance problems and increased cost due to this increase in traffic volume. Neither of these sections is discussed in the environmental assessment. Although the impact study provides the level of service at key intersections adjacent to t�'raffc e project site no discussion is included which states whether the existing roadways, primarily Whitefish Stage Road and Reserve Drive, can safely handle the anticipated number of vehicle trips when the project is fully built out Please refer to the traffic i pact analysis for a detailed analysis of the transportation impacts of the proposed pro ect. The project team is working with MDT and the City of Kalispell to insure that any required mitigation measures regarding traffic impacts are addressed through the re view of the proposed project. 12. Please provide the number of personnel available to serve the subdivision from both the fire and police departments as required in Section 4.a of Part III. Then answer question 4.b of Part III. The environmental assessment provides some discussion on the possible need for three more police officers on page 19. This information and a discussion on the fire department's personnel needs to be included Letters of impact describing the anticipated impact of the proposed development have been submitted to the appropriate service entities, and additional discussion will be held to address potential increases to services provided by the fire and police departments. The project team will work with these departments to address needs as they are identified by the departments which are directly a result of the proposed project. 13. Pursuant to Section S. b of Part III, please provide a list other parks and recreation facilities or sites in the area and their approximate distance from the site. Facility T ype Distance irection Area Description City FVCC tennis court 0.2 miles S 3.38 acres tennis courts complex Kalispell Youth 0.7 miles SW 121 acres youth baseball/softball, soccer, Athletic Complex and football fields; cross country running track, parking, concessions, restrooms, paths Spring Prairie Tree 1.0 mile SW 2.05 acres playground equipment, Park 1.0 miles SW 1.15 acres benches, historic tree Buffalo Head Park I mini -park, play ound equipment, picnicking Park View Terrace 1.1 miles Sw 0.32 acres pocket park, playground Park equipment, picnicking Grandview Drive Park 1.1 miles 4.56 acres natural openspace/ greenwa Lawrence Park 1.5 miles 117.5 golf course, playground acres equipment; soccer and disk £4 golf fields, trail, picnicking, restrooms, natural open space / greenway Northridge Park 1.6 miles SW 9.56 acres tennis courts, basketball court, playground equipment, picnicking, open space / eenway Eagle Park 1.7 miles SW 0.25 acres pocket park, playground equipment, picnicking Sunset Park 1.9 miles SW 4.27 acres playground equipment Woodland Park 2.7 miles S 42.8 acres aquatic park, gardens, daycamp, pond, warming d F hut, sledding hills, paths, playground equipment, picnicking, restrooms County Country Estates Park 0.14 miles W 4 acres natural open sace Mission Village 0.73 miles ESE 1.6 acres playground equipment, picnic Overlook Park tables, benches Northaven Park 1.25 miles SW 1.1 acres playground equipment Kings Loop Park 1.26 miles ESE 2 acres fishing, picnic Fishing Access Hillcrest Park 1.5 miles SSE 7 acres 2 softball fields, restrooms, playground equipment Conrad Complex 2.7 miles SSE 27.7 acres baseball field, softball fields, sand volleyball courts, outdoor basketball court, picnicking, restrooms, concession stand State Old Steel Bridge 2.9 miles SE 143 acres fishing, picnicking, boating, MFWP Access Site restrooms Stillwater State Forest 3.4 miles SE hunting, wildlife viewing, hiking Lone Pine SP 4.1 miles 229 acres picnicking, wildlife viewing, bike trail, hiking trail, horseback trail, volleyball court, horseshoe pit, restrooms Pressentine MFWP 4.3 miles E 11 acres fishing, boating Access Site Flathead Wildlife 5.3 miles SE 216 acres wildlife viewing, hunting, Protection Area Commercial (examples Northern Pincs Golf adjacent W Club Kalispell Athletic Club adjacent S Court Club Tennis adjacent S Association boatinia, fi golfing gym, fitness tennis 14. Throughout the environmental assessment it refers to exhibits and figures included either in the assessment itself or in other areas of the application. Some of these references do not correspond to the figures or exhibits actually provided. Please revise the references in the environmental assessment to reflect the exhibits and figures as labeled in the application submitted to the planning department. EA Location Or* Ci ' al EA -out Corrected EA Call -out Page Para- graph Line 1 3 6 Fi es 1 and 2 same 1 3 6 E bits A and B same 1 1 4 2 Figure 3 same 1 4 4 E 'bits S, T and U Exhibits N, O and P 1 6 3 Fi re 3 same 1 2 1 3 Figure 2 same 2 1 4 Table 1 same 2 2 4 E) hibit D same 2 2 6 E bit E same 4 1 1 Fi zure 4 same 4 1 1 Fi 3,ure 5 same 4 1 2 E 'bits S, T and U Exhibits N, O and P 4 4 2 T le 2 same 4 4 4 Appendix F same 5 1 8 A endix G same 5 3 1 Figure 6 same 6 1 2 Appendix G same 6 1 3 A endix H same 6 2 1 A endix G same 6 2 6 A Mendix G same 6 3 2 A endix J same 6 4 3 A endix G same 6 4 5 Appendix K Appendices J and K 7 2 1 Figure 7 same 7 3 8 bits T and U Exhibits O and P 7 3 9 ndix H same 7 4 1 JAe re 8 same 7 4 6 re 9 same 7 5 7 1 Appendices N and 0 Appendix J 8 2 3 Figure 9a j Fie 1 0 - 8 3 ? Fi re a Figure 10 8 3 5 Appendix J same 8 4 3 Appendices H and I same -- 8 7 1 Pi ure 10 Fi re.11 10 11 Appendices D and E same J 10 3 14-15 Appendices D and E same 10 4 6 Figure 10 Fi re 11 to 5 1 Figure 12 same 10 5 ] Figure 5 same 11 4 Table 3 s�n,e same 12 1 2 3 A end x N 14 5 6 Appendix N sai„e 15 4 Appendix L _ same 17 1 2 Table 1 Table 1 Section, 4, PUD, 12, Project Application 17 1 2 Fi re 3 same 18 1 Table 1 Table 1 Section 4, PUD, 12, Protect Application 19 5 4 Table 1 Table l Section 4, PUD, 12, Project Application, 1 1 11 Appendix C Same 21 2 9 Appendix K Figure 3 same 22 2 1 same 24 2 2 Appendix L same 24 i 4 Appendix endix J sarne 24 4 1 Appendix J same - 4 5 6 A cndix N sane 25 1 5 Appendix N same 5 5 1 Exhibit K< Exhibit L 25 5 1 Fxhibit L Fxhibit 1r1 Please provide the revisions to the environmental assessment and preliminary plat in both paper copy and electronic versions in order to update the applications submitted to the planning department. Paper copies of the responses are hereby submitted. Electronic copies will be transmitted to the City of Kalispell under a separate cover. The legal description for the project site found in the petition for annexation, planned unit development and major subdivision application, although accurate, is difficult to describe to the public in either a staff report or legal advertisement in the paper. Please provide a list of assessor's tracts included in the 485.5± acre site for descriptive purposes. Assessor's Tracts Included in the Associated Geocode Glacier Town Center Project 0000974607 07407819301350000 0000974608 07407819301400000 0000047451 07407819401100000 0000147140 07407830201300000 0000971717 07407830101500000 0000974702 07407830201400000 0000969519 07407830201050000 0000970514 07407830201010000 0000974703 07407830201100000 0000971718 07407830101200000 0000974703 07407830201150000 0000089450 07407830301600000 Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding these responses. We look forward to a finding of completeness to continue the process of review of the Glacier Town Center project. Sincerely Lull) Debra Rosa Project Manager cc: Wolford Development Montana, LLC 1200 Mountain Creek Road, Suite 102 Chattanooga, TN 34715 Edwin E. and Janet J. Spannuth PO Box 428 Lakeside, MT 59922 Hyalite Environmental, LLP PO Box 90 Gallatin Gateway. MT 59730 Signatures The undersigned hereby acknowledges that this Environmental Assessment was prepared by Hyalite Environmental, LLP at the request of CTA Architects and Engineers. Wolford Development Montana, LLC has consented to the preparation of this Environmental Assessment and has relied on the expertise of those who have assisted with its preparation. •°`- � �� �oli4lo� Date Wolford Development Montana, LLC 1200 Mountain Creek Road, Suite 102 Chattanooga, TN 37405 /a • 23.0 7- Date CTA Architects Engineers #2 Main Street, Suite 205 Kalispell, MT 59901 3•� 3 Date Hyalite Environmental, LIT PO Box 90 Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730 Environmental Assessment Hyalite Environmental, LLP Glacier Town Center, Kalispell, Montana June 2007